NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is "considering implementing a panel of outside experts to advise the league on whether to place players or other NFL employees on paid leave while their legal situations are pending in the court system," according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore SUN. Goodell asked in a league memo leading up to today's owners meetings, "Is it appropriate to remove someone from the workplace prior to an adjudication? If so, when? In particular, should we establish a practice of 'leave with pay,' under which an employee charged with prohibited conduct is put on paid leave status until the charge has been resolved? And what should the parameters of such a 'leave with pay' status be -- should the employee have access to the club facility; should counseling and other interventions be required; should the leave be limited to a certain period of time? What is the process for placing someone on paid leave status? Should these decisions be made by a third party, or a panel of outsiders, or should they be made by the commissioner?" Goodell in the memo "raises the possibility of the NFL doing more to punish teams whose players and employees violate the personal-conduct policy" (Baltimore SUN, 10/8). In N.Y., Ken Belson notes the "biggest question is what role, if any, Goodell will have in policing players in the future." Legal experts said that the questions Goodell posed "were good ones because they showed the league was rethinking its scattershot approach to disciplining players" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/8). In DC, Mark Maske notes one "particularly problematic issue for the sport’s leaders in reworking the conduct policy is how to deal with players and other employees following an arrest but prior to the completion of the legal process" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/8).
TAKING ON THE TALL TASK: In a Q&A with USA TODAY's Lindsay Jones, NFL Senior Special Advisor to the Commissioner Lisa Friel said the league's new personal conduct policies will "be made and put into writing by the time of the Super Bowl." She added of her new position, "It was kind of a perfect fit for me with the work I've been doing. ... We're looking at what are the standards that we set out, the behaviors that are prohibited, are they as clear as they can be? That's No. 1. No. 2 is: We have to improve the process by which we assess violations, and that is a very complicated thing." Friel added, "For a very long time, the league was very deferential to law enforcement. ... I think a lot of other places in the private sector have realized they can't wait until the end of the law enforcement investigation to take some action." Friel: "A lot of people think the commissioner should impose a 'zero-tolerance' policy. ... We prefer to have something we call 'no tolerance.' There is no tolerance for this behavior in the NFL and it will be investigated, and if it is determined that you engaged in this behavior, an appropriate discipline will be meted out." She added, "It is important for me to not be used as a PR move, but to be brought in on something where you're really serious about making changes and using any advice I might give you." Friel said of Goodell, "All my interactions with him, and I see him on a daily basis ... has just verified what I believed when I accepted this job, and that's that he's 100-percent committed to getting this right" (USATODAY.com, 10/7).
CODE OF CONDUCT: In L.A., Sam Farmer notes social responsibility and the personal-conduct policy "are expected to be the primary focus" the NFL owners meetings, as they address "how to best move forward from the most turbulent stretch in league history." Texans Owner Bob McNair: "It's a moment of leadership for the league. It's an opportunity to step forward and do a lot of good for our country. The league, we're held to a higher standard than others and we have to live up to that. But we can provide leadership in bringing these issues to the attention of others in a way that women's organizations, as an example, can't do. So I think something positive will come out of it." Steelers President Art Rooney II said that it is "time to re-examine the commissioner's role in the punishment process." Rooney: "He needs to take another look at it, we all need to take another look at how we deal with discipline, and so I think he's left the door open for reconsideration of that" (L.A. TIMES, 10/8). The AP's Barry Wilner reports the presentation on domestic violence at today's owners meetings "includes a powerful video by a former player appealing for recognition and action." The video is "part of a 40-minute presentation put together by the league, with the help of a group of outside advisers" (AP, 10/8). Meanwhile, the AP reported Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Institute for Research & Public Policy Dir Beth Richie "has been named" to the NFL's newly formed panel addressing domestic violence. She "teaches African-American studies, criminology, law and women's studies at the university" (AP, 10/7).
STILL THE BIG CHEESE? SI.com's Don Banks wrote Goodell's days as the NFL's "enforcer are clearly numbered" (SI.com, 10/7). ESPN’s Ed Werder reported the NFLPA is "looking for support from two or three owners because right now, they believe that they have a legitimate case and potentially the leverage to force Roger Goodell to surrender his hold over player discipline." Werder: "A source told me that Goodell has bungled every major discipline case he’s had recently, ... that he’s consistently punished players for misconduct while ignoring owners misconduct. ... One source told me, 'He's tarnished the league and lost the players' trust. How do the owners have any choice after this?'" (“NFL Insiders,” ESPN, 10/7). But in N.Y., Gary Myers reports despite the "ridicule from outside of the NFL of his leadership, Goodell is not facing a revolt by the owners." McNair said of whether owners support Goodell, "Oh yeah. ... Everybody is solidly behind him." Titans President & CEO Tommy Smith: "Everybody believes that Roger came out, he’s admitted he made a mistake. He did a great job with that. He’s trying to move forward in a very positive way to address the issues that caused that situation." Bengals President Mike Brown said of whether he or other owners held any animosity toward Goodell, "No, I don't" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/8). Bengals Exec VP Katie Blackburn said of whether she still believes in Goodell, “I do. I think he wants to make sure that there is the right kind of behavior with all of the players. In fairness I think he's the one that stepped up some of the discipline for some of the behavioral issues. I do believe that he wants the right thing to be going on” (“We Need To Talk,” CBSSN, 10/7).
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An editorial cartoon contrasted the NFL's breast cancer
awareness initiatives with its recent off-field issues |
SHOULD HE STAY OR SHOULD HE GO? The AP's Rachel Cohen cited poll data as showing that most NFL fans believe Goodell "should keep his job after his handling of recent domestic violence cases." Only 32% think that Goodell "should lose his job over the issue," with 66% thinking he should not. The poll, conducted Sept. 25-29 by the AP and GfK using KnowledgePanel, "included online interviews with 1,845 adults, including 836 NFL fans." The margin of error is 2.5% for all respondents and 3.8% for NFL fans (
AP, 10/8). In Cleveland, editorial cartoonist Jeff Darcy tackles the league's recent negative headlines, writing "All the pink Sunday couldn't hide fact that the NFL is black and blue over its stunning lack of domestic violence awareness as demonstrated in Roger Goodell's mishandling of the Ray Rice incident" (
Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 10/8).
AGENT CALLS OUT THE UNION: Longtime NFL player agent Leland Faust writes a special to the S.F. CHRONICLE under the header, "Violence Is The Business Of The NFL Because It Sells." Faust: "As an insider who has represented many NFL players, I am outraged, but not surprised, that both the league and the players’ own union do so little to protect players from serious injury or those near to them from domestic abuse. ... I am troubled that the union always sides with the aggressor in player-on-player violence. In April 2013, I wrote to DeMaurice Smith ... and to Roger Goodell. ... As a representative of numerous players, I expressed my concern about unnecessary violence. I've yet to receive even a courtesy reply from either or see substantive changes in play. If the owners don’t care about their investment in players and the union doesn’t care about its members, then who cares about girlfriends, wives and kids?" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/8). But former NFLer and NFLPA player rep Matt Stover "expressed confidence that former players will have a voice in terms of the disciplinary process in the future." Stover: "Nobody ... wants to devalue the authority of Roger Goodell. It has to stop with him, he's the overseer. We all trust him and respect how he conducts himself and what he's done with the league" (Baltimore SUN, 10/8).
MOVING TO THE CITY OF ANGELS? In San Diego, Kevin Acee noted for much of the 12 years the Chargers "have been posturing and pestering for a new stadium in San Diego, they were the only team in the NFL with the ability to get out of their current lease with minimal or no penalty." But this is "not so any more," as the Rams "recently won their freedom and can leave any time." What this "might actually do is force the Chargers to make a decision -- because they can’t let another team (or teams) beat them" to L.A. The Chargers "can’t have another NFL team in Southern California -- not without getting a new stadium in San Diego." There is "far more movement toward a stadium somewhere in L.A. than there is toward one in San Diego" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/7). But YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote the league reportedly expecting at least one team in the L.A. market within two years "looks like the same old NFL power play in an effort to terrify fans in Oakland, San Diego and St. Louis, which will then cause politicians to crumble and provide additional public funding for the construction of new stadiums for the Raiders, Chargers and Rams" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/7).
